Milk crate



April w, W35 J. A. HOPWOOD MILK CRATE Filed Sept. 27, 193.4

2 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEY.

A mifl m, E35. J. A. HOPWOOD 9 9 MILK CRATE Filed Sept. 27, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. 1 Job/7 ,4 hopr aao ATTORNEY.

Patented Apr. 3%, 1935 units. i

orrics 18 Claims.

This invention is directed to improvements in crates such as are used for the wholesale transportation and retail distribution of milk and more particularly to that type of crate which forms the subject matter of my issued Patent No. 1,994,710, dated March 19, 1935 and pending application, Serial No. 741,215, filed August Z l, 1934.

These crates embody generally a rectangular box built up of a plurality of similarly shaped wooden frames superimposed above-one another and secured in place by bolts or wires passing vertically through the walls of the several frames to hold them in assembled relation. The interior of the box is divided by partitions of wood or wire into a series of compartments for holding milk bottles in spaced apart relation and across the bottom of the box are wire or wooden supporting members by which the weight of the bottles is borne.

Boxes of this general character are generally referred to as slat boxes or ventilated boxes and as such are known to the art.

It is well recognized in practice that boxes of the character under consideration are subjected to hard usage. They are not only handled by mechanical conveyors, but are roughly manually thrown about and consequently a strong rugged construction is necessary to withstand this kind of usage. Any weak points in the construction are very shortly discovered through breakage and a steadied effort is constantly being made to overcome such weaknesses as will result in structural failures no matter how roughly the boxes may be handled. There must nevertheless always be borne in mind the question of manufacturing costs in order to keep the box within the price range which the milk handlers can aiford to pay.

With these considerations in mind, the object of the present invention is to improve upon prior structures in such manner as to obviate such structural weaknesses which have been discovered in the past and to overcome certain other disadvantages which are prevalent in practically all boxes of this kind. For example, it is the practice to pack bottled milk in these boxes with ice. As a result, the wood from which the boxes are made is wet when the ice is in the box and dries when the ice is gone or the box is not in use. Thus the wood is subjected to alternate periods of expansion and contraction with the result that when bolts, stay wires or the like are made tight in the initial construction of the box, they are apt to be broken when the wood swells in the presence of moisture, or if not broken, they are stretched sufficiently so that when the wood dries out the slats are loose. There has been an urgent need in this art for a box which will stand this alternate drying and wetting without becoming loose when dry and at the same time will not be placed under undue strains when the box 5 is wet. One detail object of the present invention is to overcome this difficulty in a simple and efficient way.

Another difficulty found in prior constructions is that when the boxes are slid along a floor or 10 caused to travel on a conveyor, the metal corner pieces, which are so commonly employed in boxes of this kind, are apt to be torn off or bent out of shape, so as to catch on floors or conveyors. The metal parts used must be light in order not to add undue weight, but when they are made light, according to prior practice, they will not stand the wear. They break and become loose and thus render the box unserviceable. These factors constitute a source of continual annoyance. A second specific object of the invention is to overcome this disadvantage without materially adding to the weight and in a thoroughly efficient manner.

A further object of the present invention consists in the provision of a corner structure which will materially increase the strength of the box through the distribution of external strains and without materially increasing the weight of the box.

Features of the invention, other than those adverted to, will be apparent from the hereinafter detailed description and claims, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

The accompanying drawings illustrate different practical embodiments of the invention, but the constructions therein shown are to be understood as illustrative, only, and not as defining the limits of the invention.

Figure 1 is a iragmental perspective showing one corner of a slat box embodying the present invention with an angular cap forming part of the present invention removed in the interest of clearness.

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure l, but illustrating the parts wholly assembled.

Figure 3 is a perspective view illustrating the manner in which the corner strip shown in Figures l and 2 is formed.

Figure 4 is a section on the line i-fi of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a section on the line 55 of Figure 2.

Figures 6 and 7 are views similar to Figure l, but showing modified forms of construction.

Referring first to Figures 1-5, inclusive, of the l CR drawings, l designates superimposed slats of one side and one end wall of a slat milk crate, these slats forming adjacent sides of superimposed rectangular frames. Each frame is made of wooden bars suitably cooperating with one another at their corners. The manner in which these bars engage with one another may vary without departing from this invention, but, by preference, I employ the arrangement described in my pending application, Serial No. 741,215, and in which the several bars of each frame abut one another at the corner without joinery, other than slight interfitting relation.

At each of the four vertical corner edges of the box is positioned a reinforcing strip preferably made of sheet metal of non-corrosive character or rendered non-corrosive in any appropriate way. This corner reinforcing strip is designated generally by the reference character 2 and it is formed in the manner illustrated in Figures 3 and 4. That is to say, I take a flat strip and form slits 3 and '4 at its opposite ends, so that these strips extend along the medial line of the strip and for a distance from each end. I then bend the strip along its longitudinal medial line, so that the two lateral halves of the strip are arranged at right angles to one another. Next I emboss in said strip adjacent the inner ends of the slits 3 and i transversely extending beads 5, which extend about the exterior of the angle strip and are closed at their opposite ends as indicated at 6 in Figure 4. The slits 3 and 4 form the opposite ends of the strip 2 into tongues 7 which I now lap over one another, as indicated in dotted lines, to form the completed corner reinforcing strip which is shown in place on the corner of the box in Figures 1 and 2. The tongues 'i are perforated, as indicated at 8, and these perforations are countersunk as shown.

Over both the upper and lower ends of each corner reinforcing strip 2, I next place an angular cap of sheet metal, such as indicated at 9. This angular cap embodies a right angular plate Hi, the lateral margins of which are provided with depending flanges H and l2 of a depth substantially equal to the distance from the outer surface of the outermost tongue 1 to the adjacent head 5. Each angular cap is provided with countersunk perforations l 3 adapted to aline with the perforations 8 of the tongues 7 and to register therewith. It is to be noted, however, that the angular cap is so proportioned that the distance between its flanges H and i2 is'less than the wall thickness of the slats or bars 5, the overall external width of the cap being substantially equal to wall thickness, and consequently the upper edges of the top slats and the bottom edges of the bottom slats are cut away or recessed at M, so as to receive Within the overall confines of the box, the angular caps 9, as shown in Figure 2, to give the box flush upper and lower edges and flush inside and outside walls, whereby there is absolutely no possibility of these angular caps picking up splinters in a floor or catching loose boards or cracks or against parts of a mechanical conveyor.

In order that the angular caps may thus be received into the confines of the walls of the box as stated, the upper and lower ends I of the strip 2, beyond the heads 5, are correspondingly reduced to be received into the angular caps, so that .when the caps are in place, they cover and conceal both the upper and lower ends of the corner strips 2 and the tongues a thereof, and

seat snugly against the beads 5, each of which constitutes a stop or offset.

The slats I are vertically bored to provide straight through holes which are vertically alined with one another and with the countersunk perforations 8 and i 3 of the tongues I and caps 9 and through these perforations are passed bolts or rods it provided with appropriate heads I! to bind the parts firmly together.

In a box of this kind, it is necessary to properly space apart the superimposed frames of which the slats I form parts and consequently I incorporate between adjacent frames spacers l8 through which the rods is are threaded during assembly. These spacers are made axially resilient or yielding. They are in practice in the form of helical springs and I may conveniently and economically employ for this purpose relatively broad spring lock washers of the type wherein a ring of metal is split and deflected into helical form and thereafter tempered. A single helical convolution will generally be found satisfactory although if desired I may employ a helical spring embodying more than one convolution, but in any event a spring of fiat cross section is preferred, as it is not so apt to bite into the wood or" the bars i when placed under tension.

In practice, the parts areassembled with the resilient spacers 18 under little or slight tension and the rods 46 are headed over to lock the parts firmly together. The parts are of course assembled with the wood in substantially dry condition. When the box subsequently becomes wet, the wood in the slats I will expand in a vertical direction, but this-expansion will be taken up by compression of the resilient spacers l8. When the box subsequently dries, the spacers will again expand and even though the parts maybecome slightly loose, after long periods of use,

they will not present an unsightly appearance for the reason the flanges I I and I2 of the angular caps will cover up and conceal the joints made between the metal fittings and the wooden parts and will not expose unsightly openings which may 'thus develop and whch are objectionable in the art. In no event can the box become sufficiently loose to be unstable and the particular angular construction of the fittings at the corners will be such as to maintain the same in proper shape at all times.

Attention may also be directed to the fact that the corners of the box are doubly protected and strengthened. That is to say, the tongues 1 are positioned at right angular relation to one another and are secured to the wooden parts in a manner to reinforce them. Similarly, the angular caps which fit over these tongues and the upper and lower edges of the box very materially add to the support of these parts and even though the tongues may become broken or disconnected from the strip due to crystallization of the metal or for any other reason, these tongues cannot become free so as to swing out and cause injury to a handler or to machinery or necessitate their removal. They will be under such conditions housed in concealed position beneath the caps where they can do no harm and they still will nevertheless continue to assist in supporting the thrust of the rod heads.

Another important advantage inherent in the employment of the flanged angular caps is their inherent strength which gives them the ability to distribute shocks received thereby. For example, if either side of the box is struck a sharp blow, there might be a tendency in the absence of the flanged caps to cause the top or bottom bars to split where the rods 16 pass therethrough, but with the caps in place, this cannot occur for the upper edges of these bars are confined within the flanges and transmit the shock through the flanges to the plate 10 which distributes the force between both associated rods it in a .manner to dissipate the same without injury to the structure.

The modified form of construction illustrated in Figure 6 is the same as shown in Figures 1-5 with the exception that the bead 5 of the structure of the preceding figures is omitted. Otherwise there is an identity of construction.

The structure of Figure '7 is similar to that of Figure 6 with this exception, namely, that the top of the box is not recessed to receive the angular caps. They are simply slipped on over the structure with the cap projecting beyond the other parts the thickness of the metal of the cap. This latter structure is not recommended for reasons hereinbefore manifest, but some of the advantages of this invention may be obtained by employing this latter arrangement.

In the accompanying drawings, I have illustrated certain preferred practical forms of the invention, but these structures are to be understood as illustrative, only, and the invention is to be construed as fully commensurate with the appended claims.

Having thus fully described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A mill; crate comprising a body formed of superimposed spaced apart slats, a right angular metal strip enclosing each of the four corners of the crate and each of said strips being provided at its opposite ends with tongues positioned at right angle to one another and overlapping the upper edges of adjacent top slats and the lower edges of adjacent bottom slats, angular caps in addition to and fitted over the tongues and adjacent underlying portions of adjacent slats to enclose said tongues and corresponding portions of said slats, tie rods spaced from each corner of the body and passing vertically through the several slats in succession and through said tongues and caps to bind the parts of the crate together.

2. A milk crate comprising a body formed of superimposed spaced apart slats, a right angular metal strip enclosing each of the four corners of the crate and each of said strips being provided at its opposite ends with tongues positioned at right angle to one another and overlapping the upper edges of adjacent top slats and the lower edges of adjacent bottom slats, angular caps fitted over the tongues and adjacent underlying portions of adjacent slats to enclose said tongues and corresponding portions of said slats, tie rods spaced from each corner of the crate and passing vertically through the several slats in succession and through said tongues and caps to bind the parts of the crate together, and vertically resilient spacers embracing the tie rods and positioned between adjacent slats to yieldably space them apart for the purpose of resiliently taking up expansion and contraction of the wooden slats.

3. A milk crate comprising a body formed of superimposed spaced apart slats, a right angular metal strip enclosing each of the four corners of he body and provided at its opposite ends with right angularly disposed tongues overlapping the upper edges of adjacent top slats and the lower edges of adjacent bottom slats, right angular caps fitted over the tongues and provided with flanges to cover and conceal the tongues and project beyond the latter .in the direction of the height of the crate, said overlapped edges of the crate being recessed to receive the tongues and caps and preclude projection of the tongues or caps beyond the surfaces or edges of the crate, tie rods passing vertically through the tongues, caps and slats to hold the parts of the crate in assembled relation, and spacers positioned between vertically adjacent superimposed slats to space them apart.

4. A milk crate comprising a body formed of superimposed spaced apart slats, a right angular metal strip enclosing each of the four corners of the body and provided at its opposite ends with rightangularly disposed tongues overlapping the upper edges of adjacent top slats and the. lower edges of adjacent bottom slats, right angular caps fitted over the tongues and provided with flanges to cover and conceal the tongues and project beyond the latter in the direction of the height of the crate, said overlapped edges of the crate being recessed to receive the tongues and caps and preclude projection of the tongues or caps beyond the surfaces or edges of the crate, tie rods passing vertically through the tongues, caps and slats to hold the parts of the crate in assembled relation, and spacers positioned between verti cally adjacent superimposed'slats to space them apart, said spacers being vertically resilient to compensate for expansion and contraction of the slats.

5. A milk crate comprising a body formed of superimposed spaced apart slats, a metal corner reinforcing strip positioned at each of the four corners of the crate to cover and conceal. the

corners and shaped at its upper and lower ends to overlie the top and bottom edges of the crate, angular caps fitted over the top and bottom edges of the crate at each of the four corners to cover and conceal the top and bottom ends of the corner reinforcing strips, tie rods passing through the angular caps and through the several superimposed slats of the crate to bind the parts of the crate together and hold the corner reinforcing strips in place, and spacers positioned between adjacent superimposed slats to vertically space them apart.

6. A milk crate comprising a body formed of superimposed spaced apart slats, a metal corner reinforcing strip positioned at each of the four corners of the crate to cover and conceal the corners and shaped at its upper and lower ends to overlie the top and bottom edges of the crate, angular caps fitted over the top and bottom edges of the crate at each of the four corners to cover and conceal the top and bottom ends of the corner reinforcing strips, tie rods passing through the angular caps and through the several superimposed slats of the crate to bind the parts of the crate together and hold the corner reinforcing strips in place, and spacers positioned between adjacent superimposed slats to vertically space them apart, said spacers being vertically resilient to compensate for expansion and contraction of the slats.

7. A milk crate comprising a body formed .of superimposed spaced apart slats,'the top and bottom slats at each of the four corners of the box being recessed at their edges and inner and outer faces, a right angular metal strip enclosing each of the four corners of the crate with the opposite end portions of the strip overlapping the upper and lower edges of the crate and received in said recesses, angular metal caps positioned at each of the four corners of the crate and at the top and bottom thereof and received into the said recesses to cover the upper and lower edges of said strips, and tie rods passing vertically through said caps and through the several superimposed slats in succession to bind the parts of the crate together, and spacers embracing said tie rods between adjacent superimposed slats to space said slats apart.

8. A milk crate comprising a body formed of superimposed spaced apart slats, metallic fittings at each of the four corners of the crate and the top and bottom edges thereof, tierods extending vertically through the metallic fittings and through the several superimposed slats in questionto bind said slats to theofittings and to each other, and spacers embracing the tie rods between each two adjacent superimposed slats, said spacers being vertically resilient to compensate for expansion and contraction of the slats, whereby the slats are held under compression at all times and the crate is kept tight.

9. A milk crate comprising a body formed of superimposed spaced apart slats, metallic fittings at each of the four corners of the crate and the top and bottom edges thereof, tie rods extending vertically through the metallic fittings and through the several superimposed slats in question to bind said slats to the fitting and to each other, and helical spring spacers embracing the tie rods between each two adjacent superimposed slats, said spacers being vertically resilient to compensate for expansion and contraction of the slats, whereby the slats are held under compression at all times and the crate is kept tight.

10. A milk crate comprising a body having four sides, a right angular metal strip enclosing each of the four corners of the crate and each of which strips is provided at its opposite ends with tongues positioned at right angles to one another and overlapping the upper and lower edges of the walls of the crate adjacent the corners thereof, an angular cap in addition to and fitted over the tongues at each of the four corners of the crate and at the top and bottom edges thereof, and having flanges overlapping said tongues and extending beyond the same in the direction of the height of the crate, and tie rods extending vertically through the caps, tongues and walls of the crate to secure the parts of the crate together.

11. A milk crate comprising a body having four walls, the top and bottom edges and the inner and outer faces of each of which walls are recessed at the four corners of the crate, a corner reinforcing strip exteriorly overlapping each of the four corners of the crate and extending vertically from the top to the bottom thereof, with the opposite ends of each reinforcing strip shaped to overlie the top and bottom edges of the crate and occupy the said recesses, angular caps positioned at each of the four corners of the crate and at the top and bottom edges thereof and also received in the said recesses and covering and concealing the upper and lower end portions of the reinforcing strips, tie rods extending vertically through the caps, reinforcing members and superimposed slats to secure the parts of the crate together, and spacers positioned between adjacent superimposed slats to space them apart, said reinforcing strips being provided near their upper and lower ends with an offset on which said caps are adapted to seat.

12. A milk crate comprising a body having four walls, the top and bottom edges and the inner and outer faces of each of which walls are recessed at the four corners of the crate, a corner reinforcing strip exteriorly overlapping each of the four cor.- ners of the crate and extending vertically from the top to the bottom thereof, with the opposite ends of each reinforcing strip shaped to overlie the top and bottom edges of the crate and occupy the said recesses, angular caps positioned at each of the fourcorncrs of the crate and at the top and bottom edges thereof and also received in the said recesses and covering and concealing the upper and lower end portions of the reinforcing strips, tie rods extending vertically through the caps, reinforcing members and superimposed slats to. secure the parts of the crate together, and spacers positioned between adjacent superimposed slats to space them apart, said reinforcing strips being provided near their upper and lower ends with an offset on which said caps are adapted to seat, said offset forming part of a bead formed externally on the reinforcing strip.

13. A milk crate comprising a body having four walls, the top and bottom edges and the inner and outer faces of each of which walls are recessed at the four corners of the crate, a corner reinforcing strip exteriorly overlapping each of the four corners of the crate and extending vertically from the top to the bottom thereof, with the opposite ends of each reinforcing strip shaped to overlie the top and bottom edges of the crate and occupy the said recesses, angular caps'positioned at each of the four corners of the crate and at the top and bottom edges thereof and also received in the said recesses and covering and concealing the upper and lower end portions of the reinforcing strips, tie rodsextending vertically through the caps, reinforcing members and superimpossd slats to secure the parts of the crate together, and spacers positioned between adjacent superimposed slats to space them apart, said reinforcing strips being provided near their upper and lower ends with an offset on which said caps are adapted to seat, said oifset forming part of a bead formed externally on the reinforcing strip, the opposite ends of each bead being closed to preclude the entry of foreign matter between the bead and the walls of the adjacent slats.

14. A milk crate comprising a plurality of spaced apart superimposed slats, tie rods passing through said slats at the four corners of the crate,

and resilient spacers between each two adjacent superimposed slats, said spacers being under sufiicient compression to compensate for expansion and contraction of the slats, whereby the slats are maintained under vertical compression and the tie rods under longitudinal tension at all times. 7

15. A milk crate comprising four walls, each of which is composed of su erimposed spaced apart slats, means at each of the four corners of the crate to maintain said slats in vertical alinement and to secure them to one another, and a resilient spacer between each two adjacent superimposed slats, said spacers being under sufficient resilient compression to compensate for expansion and contraction of the slats, whereby the slats are maintained under yieldable vertical compression at all times. a

16. A milk crate comprising four walls, each of which is composed of superimposed spaced apart slats, tie rods extending vertically through said walls to hold them in vertical alinement and restrain them against unlimitedvertical expansion, and resilient spacers between each two superimposed slats and embracing said tie rods, said spacers being under suflicient resilient compression to compensate for contraction and. expansion of the slats whereby said slats are maintained under yieldable vertical compression at all times.

17. A milk crate comprising a body having four walls arranged in rectangular relation, a metal corner reinforcing strip positioned at each of the four corners of the crate to cover and conceal the corners and shaped at its upper and lower ends to overlie the top and bottom edges of the crate walls, angular caps fitted over the top and bottom edges of the crate walls at each of the four corners of the crate to conceal the top and bottom ends of the corner reinforcing strips, and means for simultaneously securing the angular caps and the corner strips to the associated walls of the crate.

18. A milk crate comprising a body formed of superimposed slats, a corner reinforcing strip enclosing each of the four corners of the body and provided at its opposite ends with right angularly disposed tongues overlapping the upper edges of adjacent top slats and the lower edges of adjacent bottom slats, right angular caps fitted over the tongues and provided with flanges to cover and conceal said tongues and project'beyond the latter in the direction of the height of the crate, and tie rods passing vertically through the caps, tongues and slats to hold the parts of the crate in assembled relation.

JOHN A. HOPWOOD. 

